Chapter 2 of The Sense of the Past is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Sense of the Past is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Certainly a danger. I can do anything rather than want to. Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself. It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me. That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
Chapter 2 of The Sense of the Past is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the first light of day
From this reading “That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."”
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.”
the state of being honored
From this reading “That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."”
not able to be computed or enumerated
From this reading “It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.”
-ing form of “marry” — take in marriage
From this reading “Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.”
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading “That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."”
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading “It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading “Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
judge to be probable
In this reading “It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Certainly a danger.
anew
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
any thing at all
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
the first light of day
From this reading That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Certainly a danger.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading "Certainly a danger.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
the state of being honored
From this reading That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
not able to be computed or enumerated
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
-ing form of “marry” — take in marriage
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
on the contrary
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
except for; apart from
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
carry out
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That," Aurora said, "is the meaning of my talking of my honour."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I can do anything rather than want to.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading It will take a miracle to move me, but if I _am_ moved--moved from within and by something now incalculable--you may count on me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Anything, that is--I again promise you--short of marrying to save myself.
Chapter 2 of The Sense of the Past by Henry James holds 453 sentences, grouped into 91 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 453 sentences of The Sense of the Past, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Sense of the Past by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 453 sentences, grouped into 91 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Sense of the Past by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63369 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63369, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 217 minutes of reading across 523 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sense of the Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Sense of the Past to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Sense of the Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
